Your Inner Ninja, An Emotional Rollercoaster
by Mass Effecting Your Pants
Summary: Friendship oneshot. Sai's stunted social and emotional understandings. "It's been over four years since that bastard left. I looked at him like he was my brother, you know? But Kabuto's right, Sasuke isn't the Sasuke I knew anymore. I promised Sakura-chan, hell I promised myself, but it's so tiring."


_Friendship One-shot_

_Sai learns about the complexities of bonds, hate, anger, Sasuke and Team Seven. Shikamaru finds that talking isn't quite as troublesome as he always believed. Sakura discovers she might not ever be able to forgive Sasuke. Naruto considers giving up on the Bring Sasuke Back mission._

_Enjoy!_

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_**Your Inner Ninja: An Emotional Rollercoaster**_

Being emotionless has many distinct advantages for a ninja, but Sai was discovering all too quickly that it had a great deal that, as Naruto would so eloquently put it, sucked. Even the aid of numerous books from Konoha's library did little to speed the young ANBU's knowledge. And so it was that he was spending the remainder of his afternoon in the shade of his favourite sakura tree, wondering why his teammate of the same namesake was causing him so much confusion. It was rather frustrating. Ah. Frustration. Sai had discovered this feeling swiftly with Team Kakashi's help, and some explaining from his dog-eared and bookmarked library tome - _Your Inner Ninja: An Emotional Rollercoaster_. Oh yes, Sai was well acquainted with frustration; it frustrates him when Kakashi is two hours late...it frustrates him when Naruto screams 'dattebayo!', _again_...it frustrates him when Sakura's voice reaches that of decibels high enough to fracture his ink bottles. Yes, he knew frustration well, perhaps too well.

But regardless of what he was feeling, Sai's mask rarely wavered from its blank slate or its bright fake smile, except for the few times his blond teammate had elicited a real smile from him. But those times were few and far between and, if asked, Naruto could count them on one hand. However, today...today had been different. Today Sai's conditioned mask had slipped. Today he had experienced a new as of yet unnamed feeling. It made him uncomfortable when this happened, feeling something inside that he couldn't discern clearly. Usually _Your Inner Ninja_ was very helpful in this regard, but Sai couldn't find a clear answer as he flicked through the well-worn pages. _It has something to do with Sakura-san...but what?_ The ANBU nin couldn't remember what exactly had happened nor how he had felt. Usually he jotted down his 'symptoms' as soon as he experienced them, but the new emotion caused a physical reaction which also confused him, distracting him from reaching for his notebook. The odd feeling had faded since then but the ANBU ninja closed his eyes and tried to remember back to earlier, hoping to evoke the emotion from the memory.

-- -- --

_Sai, Naruto and Sakura sat on the stools at Ichiraku, chatting as they waited for their meal to arrive. Well, Naruto gestured animatedly as he told a story while Sakura grumbled under her breath about the blond's choice of restaurant, and Sai listened to the pair of them silently. He was content with the routine Team Seven had, though he was rather puzzled at why Sakura would ask Naruto where they ought to go for lunch, especially since she would only grumble about it the entire time. Sai hadn't been with the Team for a particularly long time, but even he could predict without difficulty that they would wind up at Ichiraku's. It had only occurred to the young ANBU several weeks ago that the routine could have something to do with Uchiha Sasuke, that the missing-nin used to be a part of the routine also. He didn't understand why the clan survivor would leave Konoha and miss out on _this_. Sai had never felt more content than when he was dipping his wooden chopsticks in to the salty broth and noodles, sitting beside his friends. Friends. He was somewhat startled by the thought, and interrupted Naruto's storytelling._

"_Do we have a bond…of friendship?"_

_In true Sai style, it was completely blunt and straight to the point, but he had learned quickly that this was the best way to talk to Naruto anyway. The blond shinobi stared at the other teen, hands frozen in emphasising something in his story and mouth slightly agape. After a moment, Naruto's wide blue eyes disappeared as a grin took over his face._

"_Of course we're your friends!" he exclaimed, turning to their pink-haired teammate on his other side. "Hey, Sakura-chan, we're Sai's friends, hey, hey!"_

_Sakura leaned on the bench with her chin in her hands, smiling warmly at their often difficult Team addition._

"_Of course we are," her emerald eyes sparkled with her smile, but she turned away quickly as it began to fade._

_Sai, while desperately hopeless with his own emotions, was rather astute when it came to reading others. He mirrored Sakura's stance and couldn't help the bright artificial smile from stretching his lips._

"_But you would rather Uchiha Sasuke were here instead."_

_The medic-nin's guilty glare spoke volumes, causing something to happen in Sai's chest that he hadn't felt before. Preoccupied by this reaction, he was surprised to find himself sprawled on his back, staring somewhat dazedly at the ceiling. The ANBU nin tilted his head to move his gaze to the furious blond standing over him, fist still raised and eyes indigo with anger. Sai touched his hand to the side of his face gently, knowing there would be a large bruise there in moments. What he was more concerned about, however, was that Naruto looked ready to punch him again. Instead the blond teen lowered his fist with obvious restraint and glared darkly, his eyes almost invisible under his brows._

"_Sai, you're as much of a bastard as Sasuke," he sighed deeply and began to leave, muttering over his shoulder before he disappeared out of the restaurant. "And just as infuriating. But you gotta know...there's always room for two bastards, whether I like it or not."_

_Sakura stared at where Naruto had been standing a moment ago before shifting her gaze to the teen climbing to his feet._

"_He left without eating his ramen," her expression was unreadable to Sai, and he found that a little unsettling._

_The young medic-nin followed the wake of her blond teammate, calling to the girl bustling behind the counter before she left. "Gomen, Ayame, but cancel my and Naruto's order please."_

_Sai sat back down on his stool as he waited for his meal. Though now eating alone, he couldn't stop the small smile that slipped out._

-- -- --

Leaning against the base of the sakura tree, his eyes still closed, Sai was still confused; though now more so after recalling his reaction to Naruto's words as the blond left. It didn't make a great deal of sense to him at all. Shouldn't he be angry at his teammate for calling him a bastard and infuriating? Angry at comparing him to the betraying Sharingan user? Sai gathered his bag and stuffed his _Your Inner Ninja_ copy in to it, pushing himself away from the tree as he stood. This was a question for the lazy shadow ninja, whom he held in rather high regard. They weren't friends really, but they would sometimes end up sitting under the same tree together, Sai sketching in his pad and Shikamaru gazing at the sky…or sleeping. The pair rarely spoke, and it seemed to be an unspoken agreement that this was the way things would be between them. Clearly they both needed a break from their respective teams on occasion. But the ANBU nin knew of the lazy chuunin's genius reputation; he'd be able to help him.

Sai found Shikamaru, unfortunately along with the both of their teams, talking at the traditional meeting place of the Bridge. Another routine the young ninja had fallen in to easily, before realising that this, too, was likely linked to the Uchiha. He paused in the shadows of a tree, watching the teenagers interact, concerned about the emotion that surged through his body. Not making the same mistake again, he quickly pulled out his notebook and listed his 'symptoms' under the heading of 'Thinking of the Uchiha'. This done, he gazed back to the group of young shinobi, observing them closely. Naruto and Sakura seemed to be acting somewhat normal again, though Sai felt he may have been the topic of the hushed conversation his pink-haired teammate and Ino were engaged in. He knew he was the subject of Naruto's anyway, with the way the blond was loudly relaying what had happened earlier to Chouji and Shikamaru. He stepped out of the shadows and approached the group, not being purposely silent but startling all but Shikamaru nonetheless. Sai felt Sakura and Ino glance at him before their whispering increased in the background. Naruto fell silent and crossed his arms, his usually open face strangely blank as he stared at Sai. The young ANBU returned the gaze steadily before finally turning to the shadow chuunin, the blond's sudden silence and expression causing the former emotionless teen to feel uncomfortable quickly.

"Can I talk to you," he flicked his gaze around the group, "somewhere else?"

Naruto huffed and pointedly looked away, ignoring the pair. Shikamaru, true to his reputation, appeared to understand the situation immediately and sighed.

"Tch, troublesome," but he bid the others a farewell with a wave of his hand and began to walk away, Sai falling in to step beside him.

They didn't speak again until they were settled under their usual tree, and even then Shikamaru leaned lazily against the trunk, looking for all the world as if he were asleep. Sai set his notebook and _Your Inner Ninja: An Emotional Rollercoaster_ in front of him, as though it would help somehow.

"I don't understand what I'm feeling," Sai began, staring up at the part of the sky he could see through the leaves.

The chuunin flicked an eye open briefly to glance at the other teen as he nodded slightly to encourage Sai.

"Naruto-kun told you what happened at Ichiraku's. Sakura-san wishes I wasn't…replacing… the Uchiha, and something happened here," Shikamaru opened his eyes to see the other boy laying a hand over his chest, and sighed with a humourless smile.

"What she said hurt you."

Sai opened his mouth to argue, but the shadow ninja shook his head with a chuckle.

"No, not hurt as in bleeding or stabbed by a kunai or anything like that, though sometimes it can feel just as painful," he gazed at the clouds drifting by for a moment before continuing. "If you believe, for a moment, that people could reach your emotions with their words, then Sakura punched your emotions really hard and injured them."

The boys fell silent; Shikamaru because he needed a break from speaking, and Sai because this was an interesting but worrying concept.

"I can feel pain…on the inside…if my emotions are hurt by words or actions?" the lazy ninja nodded at this, relieved he didn't have to attempt to explain it again.

"But, it was strange," Sai began again as he remembered what Naruto had said and did. "Naruto-kun hit me and called me a bastard…but I smiled."

Shikamaru sat up and stared at the young ANBU thoughtfully. "What exactly did he say after he hit you?"

Sai closed his eyes as he remembered. "Something like…I was a bastard and infuriating like Uchiha Sasuke, but that there's room for two bastards…I think."

The chuunin grinned, though Sai was too busy pondering the blond's statement to notice. "But I don't understand…room for two where? And why did this make me smile even though he had punched me?"

Shikamaru couldn't help it…he chuckled. Sai was conditioned to be an emotionless tool, and sometimes this made him so naïve. Often he was as emotional as a rock, but clearly he was sometimes buzzing with feelings he didn't understand. The shadow ninja couldn't imagine what it would be like to not feel, and he quietened as he shook his head, wondering how much it must have sucked to be Sai.

"In his heart," he said finally, which caused the young ANBU to stare at him.

"I don't understand what you mean."

"Tch, how troublesome. I mean, in his heart. That's where Naruto has room for both you and Sasuke."

Once again Sai opened his mouth to argue, that this was a physical impossibility; the human heart is much too small to fit actual persons in there. But Shikamaru held up his hand.

"Listen, if you imagine that your heart doesn't only keep you alive…that it houses the feelings you have for your friends…that things your friends say and do effect…effect-"

The chuunin cut himself off with a sigh. _This would have to be one of the hardest things to explain…such a pain in the ass…if he ever comes to me asking about sex, I'll point him to Kakashi-sensei or Gai-sensei, though that'll probably scare him and scar him for life._ He was immensely glad Sai wasn't as dense as Naruto sometimes was, otherwise trying to explain feelings of the heart would be like pulling teeth, without anaesthetic. Shikamaru looked around, searching for anything that could help him explain such a complex subject…a metaphor, an analogy, anything. He sighed deeply as he drew a blank, but then his eyes fell to Sai's notebook and he had an idea.

"Sai, you have a bond with your brother, right?" the ANBU ninja nodded. "Even though he isn't alive you still have that bond. Then you met Sakura and Naruto, and you have a bond with them as well, right?"

"I – I hope so," more cracks appeared in Sai's blank mask, though he didn't seem to realise.

"So now you have three bonds and you keep them all in here," Shikamaru leaned forward and poked the other boy in the chest, right above his heart. "You have room in your heart for as many bonds as you want to acknowledge, just like everyone else. And that's what Naruto meant…he hasn't forgotten his bond with Sasuke and you haven't replaced it. He's just made room in his heart to fit a bond with you in there, too."

The chuunin fell back against the base of the tree, glad no one else was around to hear how corny he sounded. If Ino had heard him, he'd never get any peace, he was sure. The shadow ninja flicked his gaze to Sai again, wondering if he had actually explained the whole notion well enough.

"So, do you know what I mean? I think you did sort of understand, which is why you smiled when Naruto said that to you, you know?"

Sai nodded but something seemed off to the lazy teen, until he remembered the earlier part of their conversation. "Look, don't stress out too much over Sakura. She used to have a huge crush on Sasuke…huge, as in obsessive…and they were friends, I guess, though they had a weird way of showing it. What I mean to say is yes, she misses him and wishes he were back in Konoha…but you're her friend, too. I doubt she meant to hurt you. Sakura isn't like that."

Shikamaru sighed deeply. If he kept this up, his reputation would be ruined. And he really needed a drink…his throat felt dry from all this talking. Though he was thinking more along the lines of sake than water since he needed to lighten up after getting in to such heavy stuff.

"Thank you Shikamaru. You have been much more helpful than a book."

The chuunin quirked his eyebrow at this but remained silent. He was glad the conversation was over, however he couldn't deny he had felt a sense of satisfaction in helping the other boy.

"Since you assisted me so easily with Sakura-san and Naruto-kun, maybe you could help with Uchiha Sasuke."

Shikamaru was fairly certain the ANBU nin had no idea of the way he stressed the defected clan survivor's name with a shadow of a scowl. The Uchiha was a delicate subject in Konoha these days, especially since news of Orochimaru's apparent demise had leaked back to the village over a year ago. The shadow ninja wasn't sure if he was prepared to continue their little chat any further, but he sat up with reluctant curiosity when Sai handed him a page torn from the artist's notebook. _Thinking of the Uchiha..?_ Shikamaru smirked with an eyebrow raised in moderate surprise at what the other teen had recorded. It wasn't difficult to understand what it meant.

"I'm guessing," the lazy genius drawled slowly, tapping the piece of paper in emphasis, "that this here is what you felt and/or noticed when you thought of Sasuke."

At Sai's nod he continued. "Well it's safe to say that what you feel for him is dislike. Intense dislike. Extreme even."

The other teen furrowed his brow. "Are you certain?"

Shikamaru rubbed his chin thoughtfully as he passed the scrap of paper back to Sai, quoting the other's recordings. "_Seemingly irrational desire to punch, kick or otherwise hurt…extremely poor chakra control…involuntary action of clenching fists and narrowing of eyes…irrepressible urge to growl menacingly…_Sai, you definitely hate the guy. A sentiment shared by many, believe me. It's not as though he was an overly nice person to begin with."

"But I don't understand," the ANBU said, frown still in place. "He hasn't done anything to me to feel that way. I haven't even seen him for at least a year. Are you sure about this? Well, there was that time when he attacked me for waking him up, but I have learnt that a lot of people don't function quite to their usual skill level and ability upon being roused from sleep, and can sometimes do out of character actions."

Shilkamaru chuckled humourlessly, thinking that Sasuke attacking someone who was in his way was certainly _not_ particularly out of character.

"Hmm," he murmured eventually. "But what about Naruto?"

"He…would have killed Naruto-kun if I hadn't reacted," Sai replied, eyes widening slightly at the memory.

"And doesn't that make you angry?" the lazy teen asked, speaking from his own feelings. "Doesn't that make you dislike him more than if he tried to kill you instead?"

Sai rubbed his forehead somewhat distractedly, able to feel the emotion that the Uchiha caused to bubble up inside him very clearly.

"Are anger and hate closely related emotions then?" he wondered.

Shikamaru snorted. "When it comes to Uchiha Sasuke, definitely. But they aren't interchangeable, for example I certainly don't dislike Naruto…but it makes me mad that he still chases every lead he hears about Sasuke's whereabouts."

A sudden thought occurred to the ANBU ninja. "Why do you feel the same way I do? You don't appear to have a particularly close bond with Naruto-kun."

The lazy genius sighed. It was a question he was sure nearly every person Naruto met asked themselves; how and why did the blond idiot manage to have such an affect?

"Tsunade-sama explained it rather well when she said that Uzumaki has a strange power…that he can make everyone he meets place their bets on him."

The teen remembered how only years ago, when his chuunin uniform was clean and new, he was placed at the head of the rather dangerous Bring Sasuke Back mission…and how desperately hard Naruto had fought, only to be left almost dead. The rest of the shadow ninja's cell had fared just as badly.

"It doesn't matter how discouraged or fearful you may feel," Shikamaru began, his voice low. "That idiot's will to fight for what he believes in rubs off on you, and you find yourself doing exactly the same thing. It's awfully troublesome sometimes."

Sai found himself unable to suppress a small smile at the other teen's long-suffering sigh. He understood very well. The pair fell in to a comfortable silence after that, though this was soon broken when Chouji ambled in to view with Ino.

"Haahh, looks like our peace and quiet is over for today," Shikamaru commented before his teammates were in earshot. "You should find your team too."

Sai collected his bag, murmuring a quick farewell before Chouji and Ino reached them. He wasn't entirely sure why, but the ANBU ninja felt as though he should apologise to his two friends. He found Sakura first and without meaning to as he met her in the main street on his way home.

"Ohayo Sai."

Sai didn't reply immediately, too absorbed in how uncomfortable the kunoichi seemed in his presence and that her smile appeared somewhat forced.

"I didn't mean to leave you at the ramen stand like that," she crossed her arms self-consciously, clearly remembering how Sai caught her gossiping with Ino earlier.

"It's fine. I understand I upset you," he spoke softly and with a little hesitation; he didn't apologise often, if at all.

Sakura smiled slightly but it faded quickly. "It's okay. It's just…you hit a nerve, I suppose. Sometimes I wish things would just go back to how they were, before…well, you know."

Sai nodded in understanding. Of course he knew what she meant. Occasionally the remaining members of the old Team Seven would reminisce about previous missions in Sai's presence – he had heard a great deal about one involving two nin named Zabuza and Haku – and he understood that their teamwork was actually rather good. Also, for a group that rubbed each other the wrong way often, they had gotten along pretty well most of the time.

"But, Sai," the ninja pulled himself from his thoughts to stare in to serious green eyes. "I miss Sasuke-kun. So does Naruto. But you aren't a replacement for _him_…you're replacing the empty space in our Team to make it an _actual_ Team again."

He nodded again, considering these words. Sakura suddenly smiled, and Sai was happy to see that it was real.

"Of course, when I didn't like you in the beginning I saw you as trying to take his place. But you have to admit, you _were_ an ass!"

Sai conceded her point. It was true to a degree. He was supposed to complete his mission at that time…whether Naruto and Sakura liked him weren't part of his plan and required no consideration. That changed quickly when he actually began to _like_ them and decide that he wanted them to like _him_.

"Do you really think everything will return to how it was if Sasuke-kun came back?"

Sai hadn't meant for it to sound harsh or condescending, but the pink-haired kunoichi didn't seem to register his tone as she cocked her head to the side with a frown, considering his question.

"…No, and I've come to accept that," she murmured, her expression sad. "Sasuke-kun has changed, a lot. He…nearly killed Naruto and that's…not something I think I can ever forgive entirely. But I've changed too…and so has Naruto. It will never be how it was when we were genin. It sounds rather cheesy but I look back fondly and remember…then I look forward with a smile because, yes, things are different and not how I would have planned it at all…but different isn't bad."

Sai felt a small smile stretch over his lips at the other teen's optimistic sentiment. Sakura could tell immediately that it wasn't a fake smile, and grinned herself. Soon she started giggling, just from feeling unexpectedly happy, and was pleasantly surprised when Sai loosed a couple of quiet chuckles.

"Kah!" she gasped suddenly, her eyes widening almost comically. "I'm supposed to be at the Hokage Tower! I hope Tsunade-sama isn't in a bad mood!"

Sai watched, still smiling slightly, as his friend ran toward the Tower, shooting a quick backward glance over her shoulder accompanied by a yell and a wave.

"Sorry, Sai! You should probably talk to Naruto and smooth things out. See you tomorrow morning for training!"

He sighed, glad that one teammate at least wasn't angry at him, and set off in search of the other. Naruto was usually in one of three places when he was by himself: his apartment, Ichiraku's or the training field closest to the Forest of Death. Since he was in the main street of town, Sai checked the ramen stand first, though he figured the blond wouldn't be there again after earlier. The teen didn't bother trekking to the other side of the village to check Naruto's apartment, figuring if his teammate was angry it was more likely he was at the training field working off some steam. Sai was right of course, and approached the boy demolishing a practice dummy with a slight feeling of unease. Naruto caught sight of him in the corner of his eye, lowering his fists as he turned to face his teammate fully.

"Sai," he seemed a little surprised at the other boy's presence, or perhaps didn't expect the other teen to have sought him out so soon.

Naruto suddenly winced and looked away quickly. "I didn't mean to hit you so hard. I gave you a nasty bruise by the looks of it."

The ANBU ninja's mouth dropped open slightly. He hadn't even acknowledged the dull ache, but what bothered him was that Sai had been the one to make a careless comment…and yet both Naruto and Sakura had practically apologised to him.

"It's fine," he replied quickly. "But I wanted to apologise for-"

"It's okay," the blond interjected, shifting his gaze to the other teen with a small grin.

Sai shook his head. "No, I shouldn't have said something so thoughtless. It upset you and Sakura-san. I didn't mean to and it was unnecessary."

Naruto only grinned wider. "Sai, I said it's okay! People say stupid stuff they don't mean all the time, _I_ should know!"

The blond chuunin laughed as his teammate gaped faintly, falling quiet quickly as his expression turned serious.

"It wasn't you I was only angry at anyway," Naruto shoved his hands in to his pant pockets, dropping his gaze to the ground. "I was angry at myself."

"Huh?"

A corner of the blond's mouth quirked at Sai's intelligent reply before it disappeared. "Sasuke is a stubborn bastard. He won't be coming back until Itachi's dead, if the fool doesn't die himself. Even then I don't know if he would or _could_ return…he's a missing-nin after all. He won't be giving his body to the snake-bastard, which is what I was most worried about. Of course I wanted to help him kick his brother's ass though! He's caused me a lot of grief with Akatsuki chasing me after all."

"Actually," the blond scuffed his sandals against the dirt, his shoulders hunching. "I was thinking about stopping."

Sai's eyes widened a fraction.

"It's been over four years since that bastard left. I looked at him like he was my brother, you know? But Kabuto's right…Sasuke isn't the Sasuke I knew anymore. I promised Sakura-chan, hell I promised myself…but it's so tiring. And him trying to kill me every time we meet or, worse, hardly acknowledging I'm even there and deeming me not worth the effort…"

Naruto sighed wearily. "It's just been a long time…I don't know if _he_ is worth the effort anymore."

"You can't give up," Sai heard himself saying.

His comment surprised both he and Naruto but he believed in it nevertheless. He disliked the Uchiha, as he had so recently discovered, but he recognised how important their bond was. To the clan survivor as well, Sai would wager, though the defected teen denied it the few times Naruto and he had faced off.

The blond stared at his friend for a moment before frowning. "You don't understa-"

"No, you don't understand," Sai interrupted rather boldly. "I heard Tsunade-sama and Kakashi-san talking, months ago…and both of them seemed to be under the impression that Sasuke-kun would most likely still be in the village if it wasn't for the curse mark. I don't like Sasuke-kun, but I also didn't know him before he was given the mark like you and Sakura-san did…and you seem to think he was a decent enough person. Don't you want to free your 'brother'? Just because you haven't succeeded yet..?"

Naruto's eyes had widened incredibly as Sai spoke, but narrowed dangerously when the other teen finished. "Did you know that that scary Anko lady has the curse mark too? I saw it when her coat slipped one time and it's _exactly_ the same as Sasuke's. But _Anko_ is still in the village!"

Sai was momentarily shocked by this information, but it only served to strengthen his argument. "And I suppose her whole clan was destroyed by a member of her family, and she swore on their spilt blood she would kill the one who had showed such cold-blooded brutality?"

Naruto could only stare at the ANBU nin as the words began to sink in to his skull. Sai, on the other hand, was wondering what the hell he was thinking, encouraging the blond to continue chasing the Uchiha. All he knew was it wasn't right for Naruto to give up on anything, even Sasuke.

"Sasuke-kun might lack the willpower to fight the curse mark, but can you blame him when it will most likely make avenging his clan easier and approach much faster?"

The blond opened his mouth angrily to retort, but snapped it closed just as swiftly. He had the same problem before Yamato had spoke to him about it, causing the young chuunin to feel guilty and shamed. Drawing on the fox's power had made finding Sasuke easier and faster, but it was not his own strength. Hadn't he lectured Konohamaru so seriously years ago about not taking shortcuts?

"Sasuke needs to be reminded," Naruto murmured eventually, his voice picking up as he continued. "He may be strong by himself…but Team Seven is a fucking strong squad when its members are together! We can kick Itachi's ass as a team!"

He smashed his fist in to his open palm as emphasis before his eyes shined at Sai. "And now we've got you on our Team too, right Sai?!"

Sai nodded his affirmative without hesitation, at which the blond began a long-winded explanation as to why Sasuke wouldn't have to fight Itachi anyway. It involved several different scenarios, one in which the older Uchiha inadvertently killed himself by walking off a cliff. Sai shook his head. He didn't know how bad Itachi's eyesight was from overuse of the Sharingan, but he found that scenario rather far-fetched. Not to mention highly unsatisfying after everything the clan murderer had done and caused. Naruto's somewhat one-sided conversation shifted gears as he outlined ways in which Sasuke could fight Itachi successfully. Sai honed in on one strategy his friend mentioned, thinking a secret technique with a name like One Thousand Years of Pain would have good results.

In any case, he realised that Naruto was pumped to continue the Bring Sasuke Back mission that had been in effect for years now…and it was Sai who had urged him to not give up. He wondered briefly if it was the right thing to do, but answered himself immediately. Of course it was. Though he considered that the mission details had been amended from 'bring Sasuke back' to 'beat the stuffing out of Sasuke until he realises he doesn't have to do this on his own, kill Itachi with their joint strength then bring Sasuke back'.

Sai wondered what would happen to his place in Team Kakashi when Sasuke returned, but didn't dwell on the thought long. Hadn't Naruto said he was on Team Seven now?

He was going to hold the blond to that.

* * *

_:D The End._

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